Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous increase in people seeking treatment for mental health issues and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase investment in mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget overall. This includes special suicide prevention services.
Need help?
One of four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is there are many avenues to seek assistance, and the majority of us will improve with time. It's important to understand what assistance is available and who can offer it.
You can get help from your GP or your local health center, or a mental health team in your area. These teams consist of occupational therapists, nurses psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work with people who use the service. Based on the type of help you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
Your doctor will typically require you to fill out a form so that they can make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you what kind of support you need. You will then be seen by a member of the mental health team, which may include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in an emergency. If you're already being supported by mental health services it's a good idea to try and contact your usual team first, unless it's out of core hours, the weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the care provided to those in crisis, and will provide assistance to patients in their own homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan aims to make emergency services available by cutting down wait times and opening up more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles and make sure that every ambulance has an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure that people who are having a mental health crisis are assisted in emergencies.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious conditions require specialists. These teams work across primary and community mental health services and the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek assistance when you're in a crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main kinds of treatment. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their numbers of clients increase each year since they introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also a vital element of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are offered, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies can be offered in person, while other can be done online. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is a matter of choice. There are also a number of charities which offer classes and support groups like Mind. The site contains a wealth of reliable information however, be aware that there are a lot of false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care, it still struggles to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They are typically located in a particular region, but can be commissioned to provide national services.
A key issue is the insufficient resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are concerns over the quality and availability of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve these services by providing more training and introducing new ways of working. It is also introducing safer and more effective ways to help people in crisis like mobile crisis teams and safe places.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are breaking down. However, there is still much to be done.
People experiencing mental health issues must be able to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services so that people in need receive assistance. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental-health liaison service, both in A&E and on inpatient wards, and that 70% will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive for 100 percent coverage.
We will also enhance services for the community, such as talking therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions, whether they are serious or common. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are seen by qualified therapists, quicker.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone suffering from a mental health issue. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or offer advice and guidance about how to handle your mental health concerns.
There are also a number local organisations that can provide assistance and support to those with mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. mental assessment of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer this option.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those who are feeling low or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can provide support in various forms that include online and through local groups. They also offer various classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art classes that could be beneficial for those living with mental health problems.
Referrals
Mental health services are under strain and GPs are forced to make difficult choices regarding which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe will be able help. They can refer a patient either to an NHS trust, or to an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will review the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they will call the GP and explain why. They can also request the GP for more information or to change the referral.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a mental health assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However, not all CMHTs offer both options and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A GP may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically run by an extensive hospital or a local health care organization. CMTs are an excellent option for those who require to see a psychiatrist or psychologist but don't require inpatient care. They also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists collaborate with therapy therapist to help someone overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are made within a reasonable time frame. One of the issues is that a lot of referrals are deemed urgent, even though they may not be. This can cause people who aren't experiencing a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To tackle this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This has been achieved by using an established referral form that requires a referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer is able to tick to indicate if the request is urgent.